Super wide-angle panoramic imaging apparatus
US6611282B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 4, 2000 |
| Grant date | Aug 26, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 4, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B17/0808
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system for capturing super wide-angle panoramic images. In particular, a two-reflector system is disclosed which is substantially self-correcting in which optical aberrations are substantially eliminated, such as field curvature, astigmatism and the like. Moreover, the super wide-angle panoramic imaging apparatus of the invention captures a super-wide field of view from a substantially single reference viewpoint. The invention provides a substantially compact viewpoint, while also having a substantially flat and stigmatic image plane, in the context of a super wide-angle panoramic system. Devices and methods for capturing panoramic images of super wide-angle scenes are provided. In a particular embodiment of the invention, two reflectors are provided (e.g., one a hyperboloidal mirror, the other a concave ellipsoidal or spherical mirror), a relay system (e.g., optics such as a mirror, a lens, a pinhole and the like) and an image sensor (e.g., an electronic photo-sensor, a film and the like).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.